New York, New York
by mf14
Summary: Jess Campbell moved to New York City for a new start. Little did she know, she was going to find something more. AU Don Flack/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Besides Jess and her friends, characters belong to Jerry Bruckheimer!**

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Jess Campbell sighed as she sat in her booth at the diner. She looked around at the people eating, wondering what those people were thinking about at that moment. She wondered what their lives were like and if any of them had a story like hers. She sighed again as she sipped her coffee and looked out the window.

She didn't know what happened. One minute everything was fine, the next men wearing hooded sweatshirts and baseball caps came bustling in. Screaming was heard followed by gunshots and Jess flung herself to the ground instinctively. She curled herself into a ball against the wall next to the bench and heard more screaming and gunshots. Jess closed her eyes and wrapped her legs tighter to her praying it would all be over soon.

She wasn't sure how long she was sitting there when she heard a voice. Not daring to open her eyes, she wrapped her legs instinctively tighter when she felt someone touch her arm.

"Miss!" She heard.

Jess opened her eyes slowly and saw a man with dark hair and blue eyes looking at her. He wasn't wearing a sweatshirt, instead a dress shirt and slacks.

"My name is Don Flack; I'm a detective with the New York Police Department. Are you alright?"

Jess nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah I think so."

"Can you come on out of there?"

Jess nodded slowly again and carefully climbed out from underneath the table. She looked around, dazed. She saw a bunch of men in police uniforms and blinked.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The detective asked. Jess turned her head back to him and nodded slowly. "Can you get up?"

Don got up slowly and extended his hand to help her up. He pulled her up quicker than she anticipated and she ended up crushed against his chest. She gasped softly as they stared into each other's eyes. He let go of her arm and looked down. He gasped and looked at her.

"You're bleeding."

Jess looked down and sure enough, there was blood stained on her shirt. She looked back at Don before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell. Luckily, Don caught her before she could hit the ground.

"I need help!" Don yelled.

**

Jess blinked open her eyes, the first thing she noticed was a machine beeping. She looked around, soon realizing she was in a hospital. She looked to her right and saw a man sitting by her bed.

"Miss? Can you hear me?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah." She said, clearing her throat. Her voice was hoarse and raspy. "What happened?"

The man frowned. "You don't remember?"

"I," She started and frowned, trying to think. "I remember sitting in a diner." She shook her head and looked at him for help.

"There was a shooting in the diner." Jess closed her eyes, suddenly flashing back to the men wearing hooded sweatshirts and gunshots. People screaming. "You were shot once in the stomach, but the doctors say it wasn't fatal and you'll be okay."

Jess sighed. She couldn't believe what had gone on. She shook her head again and sighed. "Why, why did they do this?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out."

"You're Don, right?" Jess asked, suddenly remembering she had met this man before.

"Yes I am. If you're up to it, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Jess nodded. "Okay."

"What is your name?"

"Jess. Jess Campbell."

He nodded and wrote it down. "What were you doing in the diner?"

"I was just trying to get something to eat."

"Did you get a good look at any of the men?"

"No." She shook her head.

"How man where there?"

Jess closed her eyes before opening them and looking at the detective. "Four I think. It was like three or four."

Don nodded and wrote it down. "Do you remember anything about them? Tattoos, scars, anything distinctive? Height or weight. We could use anything."

"They were like maybe six feet tall. Around there. But they were wearing hoods and baseball caps, I couldn't see their faces or anything." Don nodded again. "I'm sorry."

Don looked up. "For what?"

"I feel like I'm not helping anything."

"You are."

Jess sighed and leaned her head back against the pillow. "I don't feel like I am."

"You are." He said with a small smile.

Jess smiled back as best as she could.

"Do you have anyone I can call? Family, friends?"

Jess shook her head. "No." She sighed. "No family, no friends."

Don frowned. "No one I can call?"

She shook her head and looked down at her lap. "No."

Don nodded. "Okay well the doctor will probably be in to check on you soon. Thank you for your help."

Jess snorted. Some help she had been. Don got up and headed for the door when Jess stopped him.

"Do you think you can stay? I just, I don't have anybody and I would really like some company."

Don thought about it for a second before nodding. "I can do that."

"If you have to go to work or something, I don't want to keep you from your job."

Don smiled. "I just have to make a call and then I'll be right back, okay?"

Jess nodded and watched as he walked out of the room. God, what a day. She ran her hand over her hair and moved the stupid tube attached to her nose out of her way. What was she doing asking a complete stranger to stay with her? She was independent, always had been, but here she was acting like a child. Don came back a minute later and sat back in the chair.

"Okay."

"Is everyone else in the diner, are they okay?" Jess asked hesitantly.

Don shifted in his chair. "Two dead. Two are in critical condition. Three are okay."

Jess sighed and looked up at the ceiling before turning her head to look at him. "Two dead?" She said softly. He nodded. Jess closed her eyes and shook her head. Those poor people. They didn't deserve this, to die at some sick people's hands.

"You okay?" Don asked softly.

"I just can't believe this happened. Why would someone do this?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. We'll catch these people, don't you worry."

Jess sniffled and nodded. She didn't know why she was getting emotional over people she didn't know, she figured it was just the day catching up with her. She sniffled again and wiped at her eyes, seeing Don looking at her sympathetically.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's perfectly normal for someone after they've been in a traumatic experience."

Traumatic. Right. "Yeah." She said softly.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, you've had a hell of a day."

Jess nodded. She was tired, she just hated to sleep. Especially since she had asked him to stay. She looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Thank you for staying with me. You didn't have to."

"It's okay." Don said with a smile. "Get some sleep, that's an order."

Jess chuckled. "Okay."

**

Jess was being woken up by Don shaking her awake. She was breathing heavy and sweating as she looked up at him.

"You were having a nightmare." He said.

Jess sighed and sat up in the bed. She ran her hand over her hair, again pushing aside the stupid tube in her nose.

"Do you remember what it was about? I hear it helps to talk about it." Don offered.

Jess took a deep breath before looking at him. "The shooting. The guys, they, they came out of nowhere and just started shooting for no reason. Everyone was screaming." She closed her eyes, a lone tear slipping down her face.

"Here, drink some water." He said, handing her a cup.

Jess took it with a shaking hand. "Thank you." She said after she took a sip.

"No problem." He said softly. He watched her for a minute. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Jess shook her head. "Not yet."

"Okay." He replied.

"You don't have to stay and watch me sleep. I shouldn't of asked you to stay in the first place, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You should have someone here with you right now."

"But you don't even know me."

"It doesn't matter."

Jess smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Quit thanking me, I'm happy to do it." He replied with a smile.

Jess smiled back. Man he was cute. How did she not notice that before? She quickly shook her head at herself. This guy probably felt sorry for her, she shouldn't even be thinking about that.

"So where are you from?" He asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all. I'm from Florida."

He nodded. "What brings you to New York?"

"I moved up here for a change. My parents weren't happy with my decision, and I haven't talked to them in a while."

He frowned. "How old are you?"

"21."

"Any siblings?"

"I have a little sister and brother."

"You're the oldest?"

"I am." He nodded. "What about you?"

"I have a younger sister. She's very different from me though, more rambunctious, always getting into trouble."

Jess nodded. "That's probably how my family would describe me."

"I don't see it."

Jess chuckled. "Yeah well you don't know me very well."

"From what I've seen, you seem like a very nice girl."

"Thank you." Jess said shyly.

Don smiled at her. The moment was broken when Don's cell phone rang. He answered it and talked for a few minutes before shutting the phone and looking at Jess apologetically.

"I have to go."

"Oh." Jess said disappointedly. "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's your job. You didn't have to stay in the first place and I really appreciate it."

Don smiled and stood up. "I'm glad to see you made it through okay. I'll come check on you again, okay?"

Jess smiled. "Okay."

"Alright. I'll see you later, Jess."

"Bye."

Jess watched him leave before looking up at the ceiling again, fighting sleep. She wondered how long she could do it.

**

Three days later, Jess was released from the hospital. She had been pleasantly surprised when Don had shown up to take her home. He had been true to his word and stopped by every day she had been there.

"Ready to go?" Don asked with a smile.

Jess looked up and smiled back before nodding. "Yeah."

"Let's get out of here. I'm sure you're anxious to go home."

"Definitely." Jess said with a sigh as she sat in the wheelchair. She thought it was pretty ridiculous she had to sit in this stupid thing, but Don pushed her to the main entrance.

"So where is home?" Don asked.

"I live over on East 73rd street."

Don nodded. "I know where that is."

Jess nodded. "I took all the money I had saved up to get an affordable place here." She sighed. "It's the best I could do."

"It's a good area. At least you aren't in a drug area or anything."

"I tried to avoid that." She said as she saw the police cruiser sitting outside the door. "Um."

"You don't mind riding in the cruiser, do you? I have to go to work after I drop you off."

"Oh. No that's fine." Jess replied as she stood up slowly. She followed Don to the car and was surprised when he opened the door for her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied with a smile.

He walked over to the other side of the car and got in. "What do you think, sirens or no sirens?"

Jess laughed and then grimaced. That hurt.

"Sorry." Don said as he started the car.

"Don't be. I think no sirens are best, I'm already nervous being in one of these things."

Don chuckled as he pulled out of the hospital. "Been in one before?"

"No thankfully. I don't plan on ever being in that backseat either."

"I hope not. I would hate to have to pick you up somewhere."

"Hopefully it'll never happen." She said as she looked out of the window.

"So how long ago did you move up here?"

"A week."

"Wow. Welcome to New York." He said with a chuckle.

"Yeah what a welcoming present for me."

"The true fashion of The City. But I promise, it's really not all that bad here. I've lived here all my life."

Jess nodded. "I hope not. I don't know if I can handle being shot every week."

Don chuckled. "I don't think anyone could. I hope it won't happen again."

"Me too."

The rest of the car ride was pretty silent until they reached the apartment complex. Don parked the car along the curb and turned to Jess.

"You alright from here?"

"Yeah. Thank you again."

"Don't worry about it." Don said, waving it off with a smile. "Take care of yourself."

"I will. I hope not to see you soon." Jess paused when she realized how rude that sounded. "I mean, under those circumstances."

Don chuckled. "I hope not either. I'll see you around, Jess."

"Bye Don. Be safe." She said seriously as she got out of his car. Don smiled and waved before he was off. Jess sighed before heading into her apartment building. What a week.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who favorited and reviewed my story. I appreciate it :)**

**CSI characters are not mine!**

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Don sighed as he got off the elevator and headed for the office in the back of the floor. He nodded at the man sitting at his desk.

"You called me up here, Mac?" He asked.

Mac Taylor nodded. "We have a lead on the shooting at the diner last month."

"Finally."

"I know. These guys were sneaky. I need you to bring in the girl you talked to last month."

"Jess?" Mac nodded. "Alright I'll get a hold of her."

"Good. Hopefully we can put these people away for good."

"I sure as hell hope so." Don replied.

Don headed back to the precinct and got into the computer. If he wanted to be honest with himself he had been thinking about Jess almost every day since she had been shot. She had just seemed so different, so innocent, not anyone that deserved what she had gotten. Of course, no one did, but she was different, he could just tell. He also couldn't help but notice that she was a very attractive girl.

Don finally found the number and cleared his throat as he dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hi is this Jess Campbell?"

"This is. Who is this?"

"This is Detective Flack with the NYPD, I was the responding officer at the shooting at the diner."

"Oh! Right. Hi."

"We have a suspect in custody and we were wondering if you could come down."

"Um, sure. When?"

"Well this afternoon would be good if you are free."

"I actually am. I'll be down in an hour."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Bye."

"Bye Jess."

Don hung up the phone before calling Mac and telling him she would be there within the hour. In the meantime, Don did some paperwork he had been neglecting and tried to tell himself he wasn't counting down the minutes.

A girl cleared her throat and Don looked up, almost not recognizing Jess. Her long dark hair was tucked behind her shoulders and she was wearing a yellow t-shirt and jeans.

"Hi." She said, almost shyly.

"Hey. I guess I got caught up in my paperwork." Don said with a chuckle.

"Actually, I'm early. I didn't know what else to do and I was kind of nervous so here I am." She shrugged. Don smiled at her. "I just didn't know where to go."

"Well I'll take you back now since you're here." He told her as he stood up.

"Okay." She replied with a nod.

Jess followed Don wordlessly to a back room with a two-way mirror. She looked around the dark room nervously and Don looked at her, sensing her apprehension.

"Now we're going to do a lineup of six guys. They can't see you, hear you, or touch you. You're perfectly safe in here."

Jess nodded at him. "I've seen a lot of cop shows."

Don chuckled. "Alright. We'll go ahead and bring them in then, okay?"

Jess nodded and swallowed nervously as Don signaled someone else to bring them in. She watched as they lined up against a wall all holding numbers.

"Do you see the guy?" Don asked softly.

Jess turned her head, only to turn back quickly when she noticed how close they were. She cleared her throat and squinted as she looked through the glass.

"I don't, I don't know." She sighed.

"Take a minute, don't get frustrated." He said.

Jess nodded and bit her lip as she looked again. She tried to think back to a month ago and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to picture the guy's face in her head. She remembered they were wearing hoods and opened her eyes. She looked at Don and shook her head as she frowned.

"I'm sorry, I can't remember. They were wearing hoods and it was hard to tell. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Don said softly, placing his hand on her back.

"What's going to happen now?" Jess asked as she watched a police officer take the men out of the room.

"Well we've got enough to hold them for a few more hours, but if we don't find something solid, we'll have to let them go."

Jess frowned. "I'm sorry I couldn't remember."

"It's not your fault. I know you said they were wearing hoods and things and it's hard to see anyone's faces like that. Plus, it was dark out. These guys were smart." Don said with a sigh.

Jess shook her head. "I still don't understand why they did it."

"I don't either. How are you doing, by the way?"

"I'm doing alright. Fully healed now." She said with a small chuckle.

Don smiled at her. "That's good to hear."

Jess smiled back. "Yeah." She fidgeted nervously before looking up at him. "You know, I never do this, and if you're busy that's okay, but, um, would you like to maybe go out to dinner sometime?"

Don smiled again. This girl was cute, he had to give her that. Unfortunately, he had a job to do. "I can't."

Jess frowned and looked at the ground. "Oh. You know, that's cool. Sorry."

"What I mean is, I would like to, but I can't because you're a witness to the case."

"Okay." Jess said, looking at his number before putting it in her pocket. "You know, that's fine. I shouldn't of asked." She shrugged.

Don frowned. "I'm sorry, Jess."

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it." She looked up and smiled slightly. "I better be going."

"Alright. You alright to get out of here?"

"Yeah I took a bus. I hope you catch this guy."

"Me too. Be safe, see you Jess."

"Yeah, bye." Jess replied with a slight smile before leaving.

Don watched her leave before heading upstairs to talk to Mac. He found him in his office and sat down across from him with a sigh.

"How'd it go?" Mac asked.

Don shook his head. "Not good. She didn't recognize any of them."

Mac shook his head and frowned slightly. "Hopefully we'll be able to find something before we have to let him go."

"I hope so."

"I better get to the lab and see if they have anything for me."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Come on." Mac said as he stood up.

Don followed him out of his office and into the crime lab where Danny Messer, Lindsay Monroe, and Stella Bonesera were all working.

"What do we got?" Mac asked.

"Nothing here, Mac. I looked at every inch of this, but there's nothing. No fingerprints or anything." Stella said to him.

"I have a blood stain on this shirt, but it's only a couple of drops and I didn't get a hit on it." Danny said.

Mac shook his head and sighed, frustrated. "There has to be something we can get on these people."

"We're looking, Mac. We'll find something." Danny said.

Mac nodded. "I know. Just keep at it and keep me posted." He said before he left.

"So I saw you getting pretty chummy with the witness." Danny said to Don with a smile.

Don rolled his eyes. "We were talking. I was following protocol of what we tell all the people that come in and identify a criminal."

"But you talked to her for a while after that." Danny said with a smile.

"Leave him alone." Lindsay said, hitting his arm.

"I'm just saying it's been a while since he's had a girl, this is good. I think she likes him and I'm almost certain he likes her."

"She's involved in a case, I can't date her." Don told him.

"But as soon as this case is over you can." Danny grinned.

Don rolled his eyes again. "It's not going to happen, Danny."

"So you say." He replied before going back to the microscope.

"You know how Danny is, sometimes it's just best to ignore him." Lindsay said to Don.

"Hey watch it there, Montana." Danny replied.

Don chuckled. "I know, believe me." He said to Lindsay.

"Whatever. I bet you will date this girl after all this is over." Danny said.

"Not going to happen, man." Don replied. "I better get back down to the precinct. Let me know if you guys find anything."

"We will." Stella said.

Don nodded and headed back down to the precinct. He sighed as he sat at his desk and looked at the paperwork, shaking his head at how frustrating this situation was. He was almost certain they had the guy, he just wished they had something to hold him on.

Don sighed again and ran his hand over his hair as he stood up from his desk. He couldn't just sit there while a criminal was ready to run free. They had to have something. Don walked back to the CSI offices and into the lab where everyone still was.

"Don, you're just in time." Stella said.

"What?" He asked.

"I found a trace of blood on that girl Jess' shirt and it's not hers. I'm ruining it now."

Don nodded and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the screen, waiting for the results.

"Dammit." Stella said.

"What?" Don asked.

"It's not Curry's. It's not his."

"Damn." Don gritted between his teeth. They only had another hour and a half before they had to let him go.

"We got a hit though, it belongs to a guy by the name of Stan White. His last known address is right outside the city."

"Let's go pick him up." Don said as he and Stella left.

**

"Hey Jess."

Jess looked up and smiled at her friend she had met at her job. She was the first person, besides Don, she had really gotten to know since moving to the city.

"Hey Andrea." She said, getting up to hug her.

"Have you been here long?" Andrea asked as she sat down.

"No." Jess replied.

The waiter came by and took their orders and left.

"So how's life?" Jess asked as she took a sip of her soda.

"It's alright. How about you? See that cute detective anymore?"

Jess smiled and rolled her eyes. "I had to go to the precinct today and see if I saw the guy."

"How'd it go?"

Jess played with her straw and frowned. "Not good. I couldn't ID him."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means that if they can't find anything, they're going to have to let him go."

"That sucks."

"No kidding."

"How are you doing, any more nightmares?"

Jess shook her head as she sipped on her drink. "No thankfully."

"That's good."

Jess nodded. "When are you moving in?"

"At the end of next week. Thanks for taking me in on short notice."

"No problem. It'll be easier for me to have to share the rent with someone."

"I bet. You got a nice place."

"Thanks. I saved up a lot of money for that place."

"I bet you had to." Andrea replied.

The waiter came to give them their food, they thanked him and began eating.

"I wish I could stay at my place." Andrea said with a sigh. "It sucks having to leave."

"Yeah I can't imagine."

"They increase our rent like everybody can afford that." She shook her head. "We're not all made of money."

"I know right. People seem to think we are though."

"And of course they won't give me more hours at the restaurant."

"Me either."

Andrea frowned and shook her head as she ate. "This economy sucks."

"I know it does."

A few minutes into their meal, Jess' phone rang. She wiped her hand off on her napkin and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jess? This is Don Flack."

"Oh. Hi."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright. How about yourself?"

"Pretty good."

'Who is it?' Andrea mouthed.

'Don.' Jess mouthed back. She rolled her eyes when Andrea wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"So I just called to tell you we got all the guys from the diner shooting."

"Oh wow. Finally."

"I know. I thought for sure we would've had him two weeks ago, but thank God we got them now."

"Yeah that's great. I'm glad to hear that."

"So you can rest easy now."

"Yeah hopefully. Thanks for calling to tell me that."

"No problem. Hey so, uh, your offer for dinner still good?"

Jess stopped reaching for her drink mid reach.

"Um." She said.

"I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine. I just couldn't then because of the case. Since it's over, I mean, if you want to, I'd like to take you out to dinner."

"Oh, uh," She looked up and saw Andrea looking at her.

"What? What's he saying?" Andrea whispered.

"If you don't want to."

"No, no I mean, I'd still like to." Jess interrupted.

"Great. So I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven?"

"That sounds good."

"Alright I'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye Don."

"Bye."

Jess shut her cell phone and found Andrea looking at her expectantly.

"Well? What'd he say?" She asked.

"Well they caught all the guys involved in the shooting."

"That's great!" Andrea said.

"Yeah."

"There's more?"

"Well." Jess started, trying to hide her smile.

"Oh my god! He asked you out!" Andrea squealed. Jess laughed. "Oh my god he did! How exciting! Where are you going? When's your date? What did he say?"

Jess laughed again and shook her head. "He's picking me up tomorrow at seven. You know, he didn't say where we were going though."

"Oh! I have to come over tomorrow and help you pick out an outfit!"

"Okay if you insist." Jess chuckled.

"I do! I can't wait! You have to let me do your hair and makeup!"

"Alright."

"It's going to be so much fun!"

They paid for their meal and left. Jess was excited and nervous for her date, but apparently not as excited as her friend. She was anxious to see what was in store for her tomorrow night.

**Reviews are as appreciated as everyone who reads this!**


	3. Chapter 3

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Thank you everyone who put my story on alert and reviewed. I appreciate it a lot :)

****

CSI characters do not belong to me!

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Jess sighed as she sat on her bed with curlers in her hair and dressed in her pink robe. Andrea was sifting through her closet, picking out possible outfits to wear.

"He really should've told you where you are going. It would be much easier to pick out an outfit that way."

Jess shrugged. "Well he didn't."

Andrea frowned as she turned back around. "Don't you own any dresses?"

"Yeah they're in the back of my closet." Jess replied.

"Found them." She said. She pulled them all out and laid them on the dress. "Hm." She said as she looked them over. She looked at Jess before looking back at the dresses. "You don't have very many."

"I'm not a dress person."

Andrea sighed. "Do you own heels at least?"

Jess frowned. "I hate heels, but I think there are some in the closet."

"You need to organize better."

"I know. I haven't had time."

Andrea leaned down and found a couple of pairs of heels. She pulled them out and set them on the floor in front of the dresses, pondering.

"Hm." She said.

"Do I get any input?" Jess asked with a chuckle.

"Well yeah. This is your date."

"Well I haven't worn that maroon dress yet."

Andrea looked at it and looked back at Jess. She nodded. "That would be good with your skin tone. Throw it on real quick, I wanna see how it looks."

"Alright."

Jess walked into her bathroom and put it on, careful of the curlers. She walked back into her room.

"What do you think?"

Andrea looked up from the shoes and smiled. "Girl! You look hot!"

Jess laughed. "Does it look okay?"

Andrea looked at the dress. It had spaghetti straps and crisscrossed in the back. It almost reached the floor and showed off Jess' slim figure.

"It looks amazing! He's going to die!"

Jess chuckled. "Well I hope not."

"Okay the white heel will probably look best with that." Andrea said, grabbing the shoes. "Put them on, come on. You're my model today."

Jess smiled and shook her head as she stepped into the shoes. "Well?"

"Perfect!" Andrea said, clapping her hands. "He would be stupid to not want another date with you."

"Yeah we'll see." Jess said as she took off the shoes. "I'm going to get out of this so I don't get anything on it."

"Okay."

When Jess came back in her robe, Andrea had a small bag in her hand and was unzipping it.

"What's that?" Jess asked.

"Make up."

"Can we take these things out of my hair yet?" She asked, tugging lightly at one of the curlers. "They're giving me a headache."

"Don't touch!" Andrea exclaimed, slapping her hand away. "I'm not ready for that." She looked over at the clock. "I better go ahead and do your make up though. Sit, sit."

Jess sat down at her vanity and Andrea stood to her side. She applied eye shadow, eye liner, mascara and let Jess do the foundation and blush. Andrea grabbed a bottle of lipstick and gloss and applied those as well.

"You look gorgeous!" Andrea said.

Jess smiled and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she really liked it. She had never been much of a makeup person, only foundation and gloss if she felt like it, but she really liked the way it looks.

"You like?" Andrea asked with a knowing smile.

"I really do."

"Good. It's time to take your hair out now."

"Finally!"

Andrea gently let out her hair from one of the curlers and Jess watched as it curled around her face.

"Perfect!" Andrea said as she reached for another one. "So what are you going to say to him on this date?"

"I don't know."

"You have to have a game plan. Guys like it if you express interest in them so make sure you ask questions about what he likes to do in his spare time. Make sure you pretend you're really interested too."

Jess chuckled. "Okay."

"Keep the conversation going. Nothing's worse than those awkward silence moments."

"Anything else?"

"Have fun and don't be nervous. You'll just clam up. Try to relax and really be yourself. You've got a great personality, make sure he sees that."

"Alright."

"Okay let me curl the top ones real quick." Andrea said as she pulled out the last curler. She grabbed the curling iron she had been heating up on the table and curled the top portion of her hair. Once she was done, she stepped away. "You look great!"

Jess smiled as she looked at her hair in the mirror. "It looks great, Andrea, thank you."

"You're welcome. Go put your dress on, he should be here soon."

"Alright."

Jess hurried back into the bathroom to put the dress back on and walked back into her bedroom. Andrea sprayed some perfume on her wrists and smiled at her.

"You are going to blow him away!"

"I don't really think so." Jess said with a chuckle.

Andrea applied another thing of gloss and gave Jess a small clutch purse with gloss, a mirror, and spare change if she needed it. The doorbell rang and Andrea squealed.

"He's here!" She exclaimed.

"Stop it. You're making me more nervous." Jess said to her. "Do I look okay?"

"Gorgeous. Go get him!" Andrea said.

Jess smiled and put on her heels before heading for the door. She took a deep breath before pulling the door open and smiled.

"Hi."

Don's eyebrows raised in appreciation as he looked at her.

"Hi. Wow you look amazing."

Jess blushed. "Thank you. You didn't tell me where we were going. I hope this is okay."

"Oh right, sorry about that. Yeah this is great." He smiled at her. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Jess replied. She turned around and smiled when she saw Andrea wave and mouth 'have fun' to her before following Don out her apartment. It was when she was following him that she noticed he was wearing a tux. Man he looked good. He smiled and held out his arm and Jess smiled back as she slipped her arm through his as they walked down the stairs. The last thing she needed to do was slip down these stairs and embarrass herself. They reached a dark blue sedan and Jess chuckled.

"What? No cruiser today?"

Don smiled as he opened the door for her. "I figured this would be better."

Jess smiled as she climbed into the car. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied before shutting the door and heading for the driver's seat. He got into the car and smiled at her before starting it and heading for the restaurant.

"I hope you're hungry." He said.

"I am."

"Good. I hope you'll actually eat and not order only a salad like most girls."

Jess chuckled. "No I can definitely eat."

"I'm glad to hear that." He smiled at her before turning back to the road.

They reached the restaurant a few minutes later, and Jess was surprised when Don opened her door for her again. She thanked him once more and put her arm in his as they walked inside. It seemed like a fairly classy place, everyone was dressed in suits or dresses, and the tables all looked very fancy. After they took their seats, they opened their menus. Jess' eyes grew wide as she got a look at some of the prices.

The waiter came by and Don ordered a bottle of wine. He came back a few minutes later and poured them each a glass and then took their orders.

"So what do you think?" Don asked.

Jess took a sip of her wine before answering. "This is really nice. Kind of expensive though."

"Don't worry about that."

Jess nodded and smiled at him. "So what happened with the case?"

"All of the guys got charged with murder. They'll be away for the rest of their lives."

"Good."

Don nodded and took a sip of his own wine. "I know. I'm just glad we finally caught them."

"Me too."

Don smiled at her. "You like the wine?"

"It's good. You're a wine person, huh?"

Don shrugged. "Not really but I had some friends who were so they taught me a thing or two about wines."

"That's cool."

"Yeah."

"So what do you like to do?" Jess asked after the waiter came and gave them their food.

"Well when I'm not working, I like to watch sports, go to bars, you know, typical guy stuff." Jess smiled. "What about you?"

"Well I like to watch sports too, actually. I really like basketball, I used to play in high school, and I watch football as well."

"My kind of girl." Don grinned. Jess smiled and blushed slightly. "Who's your favorite teams?"

"I like the Lakers for basketball. I'm from LA, and the Patriots."

"Ah not a Patriots fan." Don groaned.

"What?" Jess asked with a laugh.

"Man everybody likes them after they won the Superbowl a few years ago."

"Hey I liked them before that." Jess defended.

Don shook his head and smiled. "Still. You could've picked a better team."

"They are good!" Jess replied.

"If you say so." Don smiled. "How's your food, by the way?"

"It's really good. How's yours?"

"Good as well." He smiled. "A Patriots fan." He said, shaking his head.

"Shut up! They are a good team." Jess said with a laugh.

"You could've picked a better one."

"Oh yeah? Who do you like?"

"The Giants of course."

"Oh of course. "

"Hey they beat your precious Patriots."

"They got lucky!"

"Whatever! They won because they were supposed to win."

Jess rolled her eyes, but smiled at their playful argument. She really could tell she could fall hard for this guy.

"Patriots should've won that won."

"Ah but they didn't. So who's the better team?" Don asked with a smile.

"The Patriots of course. Just because your team got lucky one time."

"Okay we'll see. Just wait until they play them again."

"Uh huh." Jess replied.

Don smiled and took a sip of his wine. He set his glass down and looked at Jess. "So what have you been up to since the whole diner shooting?"

"Uh well I've been staying away from diners." Jess smiled when Don chuckled. "No I've been working."

"Where are you working?"

"A restaurant not far from where I live. I want a different one though. I would love a nine to five, but it's hard to find a job right now."

"I know it is. I'm sure you can find something though. Do you want to work in an office or something?"

"Yeah just something like that. I'm taking online classes so I can get a better job eventually, but until then, I guess I shouldn't be too picky about jobs." Jess shrugged. "I just want something different."

Don nodded. "I understand that. Well I'll keep my ears open and see if I hear anything."

Jess smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem." Don replied with his own smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Don nodded and got the check. Once he paid, they left the restaurant. Jess smiled when Don opened the door for her again as she got into his car. They were both silent as Don drove them back to Jess' place. Once they reached her apartment, Don opened the door for her again and walked her to the door.

"So I had a good time tonight." Don said.

Jess smiled. "Me too."

"Maybe we can do this again?"

Jess nodded. "I'd like that."

"Alright. Well I'll give you a call then."

"Okay."

"Have a good night."

"You too, be safe."

Don smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Jess tried to hide her smile and waved as he walked back to his car. She grabbed her keys out of her purse and headed upstairs to her apartment. Once she got inside, she leaned against the door with a sigh. She looked up when Andrea came running up to her.

"How did it go? Was it good? Did you have fun? Did he kiss you?"

Jess chuckled and walked to her room, Andrea on her heels. "It was a lot of fun, yeah it went well." Jess grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. She grinned at Andrea. "And he kissed my cheek." She said right before she shut the door. She laughed when she heard Andrea squeal.

Andrea was waiting outside the door when Jess came back. She followed her into her room and sat on her bed as Jess took the hair pins out of her hair.

"So where did you go? What did you talk about? You have to tell me everything!"

"We went to some restaurant, I don't know where it was. It was pretty fancy though. We talked about the criminals from the diner and sports."

"Sports?" Andrea asked.

Jess nodded. "Yeah we talked about basketball and football. I like those things." She shrugged.

"Well that's good, I'm sure he liked that."

Jess nodded again as she looked at Andrea through her mirror. "We were arguing over who likes the better team." She said with a chuckle.

"Awe look at you! You can't stop smiling! You had a good time, I take it?"

"Yeah I did. And he wants to do it again."

"Oh that's great!"

"Yeah." Jess said, still smiling.

"I'm so happy for you!" Andrea said, getting up to hug her. "Who knew you'd meet somebody after only living her a month."

"I know. I totally wasn't planning on this. I came up here for a change and to be independent."

"You can still do that, though. You have to date, you don't want to be alone."

"I guess you're right."

"I am. And besides, since my love life sucks right now, I'm going to be living vicariously through you."

Jess chuckled. "Great."

"I'm glad you met him, though. You seem happy."

"I am. I just don't want to be over happy though, you know?"

Andrea nodded. "Yeah. Don't jump into this too fast."

"I'm not going to, believe me."

"Well good. Alright, well I better be going, it's getting late."

"Okay. Thanks for coming over and helping me." Jess said, hugging her.

"No problem." Andrea replied as she hugged her back. "I'll see you later."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye Jess."

Jess lead her to the door before shutting and locking it behind her. She walked into her bedroom and climbed into her bed, pulling her comforter up close and sighing happily. It had been a good day. Maybe she'd have some good dreams.

**Please review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long to update. Work has been busy and I got stuck for a while there. Thank you again to everybody who reviewed and put my story on their alerts. I'm glad someone out there likes my story :)**

**  
Disclaimer: I do not own the CSI characters**

Jess groaned as she set the last box down inside her living room. She plopped down on the couch, exhausted.

"Is that it?" Jess asked.

Andrea nodded as she set a box down. "That's the last of it."

"Man. You've got a lot of stuff girl."

Andrea chuckled. "Hey I had more than this, the rest of it's in storage though."

"Good lord."

"I know."

"You want help setting up your room?"

"If you don't mind."

"You know I don't."

Jess picked up a box and followed Andrea into her new room. She set the box back down and looked around.

"You've already got it started, I see."

Andrea nodded. "This is my favorite comforter and my curtains."

"Those are bright." Jess said with a chuckle as she looked at the bright orange curtains.

Andrea shrugged. "Yeah but I like them."

"They're definitely you."

"Yeah." Andrea agreed with a laugh.

"Alright so what do you need help with?"

"Well all of my clothes are still on hangers if you want to hang them up in there."

"Do you want them in any particular order?" Jess asked as she grabbed a handful of clothes.

"Nah I'll do that later. Just put them in there."

"Okay."

After Jess hung up her clothes and helped her unpack the rest of her boxes, they high fived.

"We're done." Andrea said.

"Awesome. Let's grab some dinner."

"Where are we going?"

"There's this little diner down the street. They have pretty decent food."

"Cool."

They grabbed their coats, it was starting to get cold already, and headed down the street. Once they were inside the diner, they shrugged off their coats and grabbed a booth by the window.

"Hey this isn't the same diner as the shooting, is it?" Andrea asked.

Jess nodded. "Yeah. I decided to be brave and come back in. What are the chances of it getting shot up twice, right?"

"Knock on wood, girl, you never know what could happen."

"True." Jess agreed as she knocked on the table.

"What can I get you girls?" The waitress asked.

After they ordered their food, they sipped on their drinks as they waited.

"So has Don called you yet?"

"No." Jess replied, trying not to frown. "I'm sure he's real busy though."

"He better call you soon. He said he would right?" Jess nodded. "Well he better get off his ass then!"

Jess chuckled. "He's seriously probably real busy, you know, lots of crime and stuff. It's always in the papers."

"I know. But this is New York, you shouldn't be surprised."

"Yeah. I guess I'm not used to it yet."

"You will. That doesn't excuse Don though."

Jess rolled her eyes and smiled. "Maybe he'll call soon."

"We'll see." Jess shrugged.

"Well he better. He seems like a good guy."

"Yeah I think so, too. But, I've only been out with him once."

"True."

Their food arrived and they chatted as they ate. Once they were done, they paid and left, heading back to their apartment. Once they got back inside, they both changed into pajamas before collapsing on the couch.

"You got anything you want to watch?" Jess asked.

"Not really."

"Well there are a couple of shows I watch religiously a couple of days a week. Just so you know."

"That's cool."

They watched TV until they were both yawning uncontrollably.

"God, we should go to bed."

"Guess so." Jess yawned.

"Thanks for helping me move in." Andrea said as she got up.

Jess nodded and shut off the TV. "It was no problem."

"Night." Andrea said as she headed into her room.

"Night." Jess replied and headed into her own.

* * *

"So how was your date?" Danny asked with a grin.

Don rolled his eyes. "Like I'm going to talk to you about it, Messer."

"Aw, come on, Don. Give me something."

"It was nice."

"That's it?"

"You told me to give you something. I did."

"Come on. I'm your friend."

"And?"

"Give me more than that!"

"Danny leave him alone, if he doesn't want to tell you, he doesn't have to." Lindsay told him.

"Thank you Lindsay." Don said. Lindsay smiled at him.

"Oh please." Danny replied, rolling his eyes again. "Come on." He said to Don.

Don rolled his eyes as they walked into the restaurant for lunch. After ordering and getting their food, Danny started badgering Don again.

"Where'd you go?"

"Danny let up." Lindsay said with a laugh.

"What is talking about?" Stella asked.

"Don went out with that girl in that shooting last month. He won't tell me how his date went though." Danny said.

"I didn't even know you liked her, Don." Mac said.

Don shrugged. "She's a really nice girl and I felt bad that her first week in New York, she gets shot."

"So are you going to see her again?" Danny probed.

Don rolled his eyes. "Maybe."

"Ha!" Danny clapped his hands and grinned. "I finally got a response from you!"

Don chuckled. "Yeah well, I know you wouldn't give up."

"Your right I wouldn't have. Awe Donnie's got a new girlfriend!"

"Man shut up. It was one date."

"I can tell you like her." He grinned.

"Whatever."

"Awe leave him alone." Stella said to Danny.

"Come on. Flack needs to settle down. He's not getting any younger." Danny said.

"Hey shut up. You aren't that much younger than I am." Don told him.

"Yeah but at least I have someone." He grinned at Lindsay who rolled her eyes.

"I'm still wondering about that. Did you fall and hit your head, Monroe?" Don asked her.

"I must've." She replied.

"Hey I'm a good catch." Danny said, puffing out his chest.

"Please." Don said, rolling his eyes.

"But back to you, Don Flack, don't let this one get away. You need to settle down."

"I don't need to do anything." He replied. "I'm not going to rush into this just because you want me to."

"Definitely don't do that. You don't want to push her away." Lindsay said to him.

"Yeah you gotta keep her interested. Girls like guys with mystery." Danny said.

"What's your mystery?" Stella asked him.

"I've got plenty of mystery." He said with a grin.

Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Anyway, just be yourself and it'll work out." Lindsay told Don. "If you want it to, I mean."

"Well I did ask her do go out again." Don told her.

"Ha! See I knew you liked her!" Danny exclaimed.

They ignored him.

"Well that's good, I'm assuming she said yes?" Lindsay asked. Don nodded. "So where are you taking her this time?"

"I don't know. See, she's a tomboy and she likes sports like me, so I was thinking a basketball game or something." Don shrugged.

"That would be good. I'm sure she's never been to a New York game."

"So you think it would be a good idea?"

"Yeah definitely. Maybe take her out to dinner before or something."

Don nodded. "I was thinking about that."

"Well good. When are you going to take her?"

"I don't know, I have to get the tickets first."

"You should probably do that soon. You don't want her to think you're ignoring her or changed your mind or something."

"I will."

"We better get back to work. Danny, I need you and Adam to go over that evidence again." Mac said as they all stood up to throw their trash away.

"We're on it." Danny told him. He looked at Don. "I'll talk to ya later." He said with a smile.

"Great." Don replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes before heading back to the precinct.

* * *

Jess wrapped the towel around her tighter as she headed into her room and put on some clothes. She rubbed her towel over her hair after she got dressed and headed into the living room where Andrea was watching TV.

"Hey."

"Hey." Jess replied as she sat down next to her.

"So Friday night. What are the plans?"

"I don't have any."

Andrea sighed. "Me either. This sucks."

"No kidding." Jess chuckled.

"Oh your cell rang while you were in the shower."

Jess frowned and grabbed her phone off the table, seeing she had a new voicemail. She dialed the number.

_"You have one unheard message. First unheard message sent today at 6:54 PM."_

beep.

"Hey it's Don. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out tonight or something. Give me a call."

Jess smiled as she deleted the message and hung up.

"Who was it?" Andrea asked, noticing her smile.

"Don."

"Awe!" Andrea exclaimed. "Call him!"

"I am but I'm going in my room to do it. If I stay out here, I won't be able to do it with you staring at me."

"Whatever." Andrea said with a laugh.

Jess dialed the number as she walked into her room and shut the door behind her.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Jess."

"Oh hey. What are you up to?"

"Nothing really. What about you?"

"Well I was going to go clubbing, but since you called, do you want to go out to eat or something?"

"Sure, that sounds good."

"Alright. I'll pick you up in an hour, is that alright?"

"Yeah. Should I dress up?"

Don chuckled. "Yeah there's this nice Italian restaurant downtown if you want to go."

"That sounds good. So I'll see you in an hour."

"Alright. Bye Jess."

"Bye."

Jess immediately walked to her closet and opened it, looking for something to wear. She looked over the dresses she hadn't worn on her first date and decided on her little black dress. Once she put it on, she grabbed her pearl earrings her mother had gotten her for her birthday a few years ago and a necklace before calling Andrea back to her room.

Andrea whistled. "Damn girl, don't you look nice."

"Thanks." Jess said with a chuckle.

"Where are you guys going this time?"

"Some Italian restaurant. I asked this time."

"Good. You want me to help with your makeup?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course I don't. Let me get my makeup bag from my room."

She came back a minute later with it and Jess sat down in a chair as she applied her makeup.

"So you nervous?"

"A little, I guess. Not as much as last time though. I hate first dates, they're so nerve wrecking."

"I know. At least that's over with."

"No kidding."

Andrea applied lipstick and gloss before stepping back and smiled.

"You're done."

Jess looked in the mirror and smiled. "It looks great, thanks again, Andrea."

"No problem. What are you doing with your hair?"

"I don't have time to do much, so I think I'll just wear it straight."

Andrea nodded. "That looks good on you. You want me to do it?"

"Sure why not."

Andrea grabbed the hair dryer and flat iron and worked on Jess' hair. She finished just in time that Don knocked on the door.

"He's here! You want me to tell him to wait?"

"Nah I'm ready."

Jess put on black high heels and grabbed her black clutch purse before checking herself once more in the mirror.

"You look good, go!" Andrea said, pushing her slightly out the door.

Jess chuckled. "Alright, alright."

Jess walked to the door and opened it, smiling at Don.

"Hi."

"Hi there. You look gorgeous." Don said.

"Thank you."

"You ready to go?"

"I am."

"Alright."

"Bye kids, have fun." Andrea said.

Jess chuckled and waved to her as they left.

"Who's that?" Don asked.

"Didn't I introduce you guys?"

"No."

"Wow that was nice of me." Jess said with a chuckle. "That's my roommate, Andrea. She's a great girl."

"Seems like it." Don said as he opened the car door for her.

"Thank you." Jess said as she sat down.

Don smiled before heading to his side of the car and climbing in. They made small talk as they headed to the restaurant. Once they got there, they were seated and looking at their menus. Jess seemed a little less hesitant to buy food, this place was less expensive than the last one.

"So what wine are you going to get tonight?" Jess asked.

Don smiled. "Is wine okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

Don nodded and ordered a red wine when the waitress came back. Once they ordered their food, Jess took a sip of her wine and set the glass down.

"So did you catch the game last week?"

Jess rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Yeah, yeah. It wasn't their best game."

"No kidding. Brady was not doing well at all."

"I know. He must've been having an off day."

"Uh huh."

"Your Giants didn't do too hot either."

"But they won." Don said with a smile. "That's what matters."

"Ah but not by much."

"But they did better than your team."

"Yeah, yeah." Jess replied, rolling her eyes.

"How's your food?" Don asked.

"Good. How about yours?"

"It's good. I like this place."

"It's nice here."

Don nodded. "It is. So what have you been up to since I last saw you?"

"Nothing really. Andrea moved in with me cause she couldn't pay her rent but that's about it."

"How's work going?"

"It's alright. It's a little busy most nights. Makes the tips nice."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah. How's your work going?"

"Oh you know, same old, same old. Keeping the crooks off the street so you can walk without harm." He winked at her.

Jess smiled. "You know I thank you for that."

"Eh, it's not a big deal."

"Yeah it is. Don't be so modest."

Don smiled and shrugged. "It's my job."

"How did you get into the police force anyway?"

"My dad was a cop."

"Oh. Was it his idea or yours?"

"A little bit of both. It's only my sister and I so he kind of pushed it on me, but I never told him I wanted to do it anyway."

"Well at least you're doing what you love. I wish I was."

"Yeah how come you aren't going to college or anything?"

"I'm trying to save up money so I can."

"That's good. What do you want to do?"

"I don't really know. I love to write so I was thinking journalism."

"That's cool. I know a few people that did that, they really like it. But it's a lot of work."

"That's fine with me. I never minded all the schoolwork and stuff when I was in school."

"Well that's a good thing then."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Your parents aren't going to help you at all?"

Jess shrugged. "I guess they would've if I hadn't moved up here, but I'm not sure if they would or not."

"That's a shame."

"Yeah."

Don checked his watch. "Wow. We've been sitting here for like two hours."

"Oh wow." Jess laughed.

"You ready to go?"

"Definitely."

After Don paid the bill, he drove Jess back to her apartment. As he walked her up to the door, he smiled at her.

"I had a good time, like always."

Jess smiled. "Me too."

"So I'll see you again?"

Jess smiled and nodded. Don leaned down hesitantly and waited for Jess to come the rest of the way. Their lips met in a simple kiss before Don pulled away. He smiled.

"Bye Jess."

"Bye Don."

Jess made it all the way to her room before squealing like a teenager.

**Please, please review! :)**

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